neat but not gaudy

I think I need a shirt like this

2009-02-27T16:47:00.000Z

Cold weather

2009-02-26T18:35:00.006Z

Here are my tops tips! for cold weather

- Wool everything. I even used to have a lovely soft wool vest from a German department store, but it got moth. This year I got some lovely merino wool mix tights from Marks and Spencer. I'm still looking longingly at lovely ribbed Falke wool tights though.
- Uniqlo sale for lovely wool cardigans.
- Wear a slip. It stops draughty gaps when wearing a shirt and skirt.
- Avocado oil for horrible dry winter skin. I use it as a night cream. I have a marvellous bottle from a French supermarket which has the avocado smell added in (because avocado oil doesn't actually smell of avocadoes). I love it when things are artificially made more natural.
- Lots of thin layers is better than one or two thick ones.
- Wear a big scarf. If it's cold, it adds a useful extra layer, and it's more glamourous than a cardigan.
- Always wear enough hats and gloves and scarves to stay warm outside. Being avoidably cold is the most miserable thing in the world, and all you will think about while you are out is the lovely woolly hat you left at home.
- Boots, of course, for warm legs. And a pair of socks between the boots and the tights.
- Cycle to work. It's much nicer in the cold than in the heat, and it warms you up for the first hour of the day.

Objects of desire

2009-01-28T14:45:00.002Z

Oh, look at this. So beautiful. It's like one of the suits Anne Vernon wears in Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (you can see her here). Now I must stop talking myself into buying it. I don't need it at all, in any way.

Favourite inauguration outfit

2009-01-21T12:14:00.003Z

I LOVE Sasha Obama's orange/pink/red outfit, and such cute shoes!

(Photo from the Guardian)

From The virgin in the garden, by A.S. Byatt

2009-01-18T20:39:00.004Z

Frederica affected a long white nightdress with full sleeves, and a yoke of broderie anglaise threaded with black ribbon. She liked to imagine this garment falling about her in folds of fine white lawn. It was in fact made of nylon, the only available kind of nightdress, except for vulgar shiny rayon, in Blesford or Calverley. It did not fall, it clung to Frederica's stick-like and knobby limbs, and she disliked its slippery feel. She was always too easily seduced, when buying clothes, by some Platonic ideal garment possibly, though not necessarily, also envisaged by the makers of the cheap imitations she could afford to buy. She would have had a Yorkshire sense of quality in cloth if she'd had the money to go with it. Lacking money, she refused to be shrewd about the second-rate.

I made this

2009-01-15T10:37:00.006Z

It's Vogue 8409 - a Very Easy Vogue - and the pattern was a dream. The material is satin with a slight stretch, and I lined it in bright pink, which you can't see, goddammit. (First time I've made my own lining, so I was enormously pleased with myself.) I loved the pattern so much I might well make it again in black wool for work, if I can work out how to make the crossover neck slightly more modest. At the moment the dress is a bit 'Hello, these are my boobs' which is fine for special occasions but not for the office.

...and other resolutions

2009-01-10T16:08:00.004Z

- Cut my fringe back in.
- Stop buying shoes. Gah.
- Wear eye make-up.
- Write more on this blog. (Blah blah as usual.)
- Do some more crafty things. I want to make a patchwork quilt!

Things I am going to make this winter

2009-01-10T15:10:00.004Z

- Two full, wool skirts, in red and in black, probably to this pattern or one like it.
- A knitted snood in grey, that I can wear as a scarf or pull over my head to keep my ears warm.
- A grey or dark blue pinafore dress.
- An A-line black wool skirt with a waistband.
- A wool smock dress in green or mustard or bright blue, to cheer up my very grey wardrobe.
- A plain red jersey dress. Empire line. Sort of swingy. Maybe this pattern, but without the rolled hem.
- A smart dress with the beautiful fine black wool challis I have.
- A really chic 1940s style hat.

I'm also going to try and finish the grey wool coat I started on (before realising I was using the worst pattern in the world). I think I can salvage it, and the material is beautiful: lovely nubbly grey boiled wool. I must make a coat this year. I am fed up with not having a decent smart everyday coat.

Things I need

2008-11-26T11:17:00.002Z

For 'need', read 'want':

These boots :They're like the perfect boots. The zip goes up the back of the leg, and the heel is an inch and a half high, the perfect heel height for winter boots: you can cycle in them but it still gives you a bit of a lift. They are totally perfect, and a lovely black leather (you can't tell from the picture but I've looked at them in the shop).

I think I have a bit of back pay coming in my next pay packet, and then these will be MINE all mine.

Things my mother told me

2008-10-23T13:00:00.003+01:00

I remember about eight years ago, I was complaining to my mother about the fact that I only seemed to attract Tories (my most recent boyfriend had been a Territorial Army type who thought Douglas Hurd was a great statesman). My mother thought about this for a bit and then said 'I don't think left-wing men go for girls who wear straight skirts - maybe that's it?'.

2008-10-09T12:35:00.000+01:00

I love this picture. Via Shorpy.

Built by Wendy blouse

2008-08-16T23:55:00.004+01:00

So finally, photos of something I've made. This is a Simplicity pattern: I raised the neckline slightly because it's pretty low, and I left the sleeves ungathered because I thought they were nice that way.

The pattern:

The finished blouse:

It's a nice shape, although I should have lowered the bust line by half an inch. The material is a batik print cotton remnant and is so pretty. If I make it again I might also lengthen it by an inch or so: it's fine with the pencil skirt I'm wearing in the picture, but a bit short with jeans.

What I've been reading

2008-07-31T22:18:00.003+01:00

A brilliant blog about fashion and representations of women (and feminism and race and other cool stuff) is Threadbared, written by 'two clotheshorse academics who write and teach the politics of fashion and beauty'. They discuss all sorts of stuff from the politics of designer knock-offs to the black Italian Vogue issue.

I really like reading about feminism and fashion: the two are connected. Here's the bit from The sceptical feminist by Janet Radcliffe Richards which I'm always quoting (in a garbled way) to justify being a feminist who likes clothes and fashion:

People have to choose their clothes whatever they are, and a feminist whose main motivation was to put as little time and money into them as possible should presumably go around in the first and cheapest thing she could find in a jumble sale, even if it happened to be a shapeless turquoise Crimplene dress with a pink cardigan. No feminist would be seen dead in any such thing. Obviously, therefore, the aim is not just to take what is cheapest and easiest, even though consideration of that sort must come into the matter to some extent. Style is important.

At some point I'll post a review of It's so you, and when I've finished it, the other fashion-feminism book I'm reading, Linda M. Scott's Fresh lipstick.

2008-07-16T12:52:00.003+01:00

Long posting pause! I've been busy. Doing exams, moving house... you know how it is. And we don't have internet at home yet so I can't update from there. But when I do I have photos of the things I've made recently.

Here are my possible next projects: Burdastyle are having a sewalong project for the Anda dress, which looks like a nice simple pattern to make up before I go on holiday. I also want to make this pinafore dress in cord or heavy cotton for the autumn. I've also got plans for Vogue 8511, which I'll write more about later...

2008-04-10T21:40:00.003+01:00

I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men.

-- Marlene Dietrich

Wedding outfit rage

2008-04-08T13:45:00.002+01:00

Things that I don't want to wear to weddings:

Polyester chiffon. Actually, I am not a chiffon wearing person anyway, but I could be tempted by a really elegant drapey silk chiffon dress. Polyester chiffon is just bleurgh, and the worst fabric ever for getting really sweaty and disgusting.
Strapless dresses. It's MARCH. We're in ENGLAND. Possibly, there will be a few weekends in July and August when strapless will seem like a good option - for those of us with slender arms, long, slim waists, and no bulgy fat around the boob area. However, even then I'd have though one would wear a bolero, especially for a church wedding, or if there is even the slightest chance of rain or breezes? Why does no one sell boleros? Only cardigans, which aren't really quite the same thing.
A 'tea dress'. Yes, I know they're in. They're pretty, too. But a) see polyester chiffon, above, and b) I don't want to be frilly. I want to be dressy and elegant, but not frilly, girlish, 'feminine' or 'romantic'.
Above the knee. Fine for teenagers, but I think above the knee is not dressy enough for an adult at a wedding. Why is nothing available in knee length? Knee length, or just, just below the knee (close enough to the knee to see where the calf narrows again as it meets the knee) is the best length for adult women: it's smart and modern and grown up and flattering. Mid-calf is horribly frumpy unless done really well, and a long dress for a wedding can look a bit as though you're trying to get in on the whole bride thing.
Black. If I were happy to wear black, there are half a dozen things I could pull out of my wardrobe. But even when I know the couple won't object I still don't fancy it much. Plus, it's a nice opportunity to wear something bright and cheerful.
Separates. Yes, I know, now I'm just being picky. But despite what the Times tells us, dresses are just better. Smarter. More elegant.

Not buying it

2008-03-31T16:04:00.003+01:00

So I successfully made it to the end of Lent without buying anything, and it's been interesting in several ways.

I haven't really missed buying stuff, which is good. Although there's a part of me which thinks why should you miss buying things over a period of six weeks? You have plenty of stuff anyway. This is absolutely correct, and makes me feel slightly pathetic.

I have still been going to the shops, because avoiding the shops altogether seems like cheating - making it too easy on myself - and because I like to see what's out there. As I wrote before, the biggest effect of not buying stuff is that I have noticed how quickly the 'must-have-it!' urge fades if I don't give in to it.

I have bought a lot of second hand stuff. I think one aspect of not buying new stuff is that instead of getting fixated on a particular item in a shop, I've been able to be a bit more imaginative about what I could do with second hand stuff. Photos of some of my new second hand things will follow.

I've also been obsessing, actually obsessing, about things I want to make. I now have a list as long as my arm of possible projects for the next year. We'll see how many I get done...

Oh, and I must say now: I did go to the shops last week. I bought two plain grey t-shirts: one with long sleeves, one with short sleeves. And a dress for a wedding that looked ok in the shop but so awful at home that I returned it (so that doesn't count).

Objects of desire - red shoes, no knickers

2008-03-11T16:01:00.003Z

These lovely DM shoes. I think red shoes are the most fun and happy thing in the whole world.

It's so you

2008-03-11T11:40:00.002Z

Just received this book as part of a parcel from Amazon - really looking forward to reading it. It got an interesting review at the f-word. Feminism and fashion, two of my favourite things...

Objects of desire

2008-03-05T11:35:00.004Z

I'm so very much in love with these shoes. But shipping from the US is $30! - almost as much as the shoes themselves cost. But still, they're so pretty. I love that chunky heel, and the slightly narrow rounded toe.

On yer bike

2008-03-05T10:33:00.005Z

I wore a pencil skirt and heels today, because I got the bus to work instead of cycling. So I was thinking how much cycling to work influences what I can wear in the morning. Without even considering all the ugly stuff I have to wear to be safe, warm and visible, I can't wear:

- high heels. I do occasionally, but it makes it harder to cycle

- straight skirts

- any skirts shorter than about three inches above the knee (they ruck up when cycling and passers-by can see my knickers)

- for similar reasons, wrap dresses

Also, wide-legged trousers have a tendency to catch on my bike chain (although skinny jeans and narrow straight-legged ones are excellent). Lacey tights sometimes catch on sharp bits of the bike and rip. I have to wear a hat, or my ears get cold, but the hat has to go underneath my bike helmet, so instead of a nice hat I wear a ridiculous knitted headband. Given that I don't always bear these requirements in mind when shopping, it's no wonder that I always wear the same stuff for work - a-line skirt, flat boots, thick tights - and why I can't find anything else to wear despite a cupboard bursting with clothes.

Paula Cocozza has a few suggestions in an old Guardian article. I like her idea of wearing full, fifties style skirts.

Objects of desire

2008-03-04T15:18:00.002Z

- a dark denim seventies style maxi skirt. I have some vintage patterns that I can use to make this, so it might be one of my next projects.
- some flat black shoes with a dolly strap (a strap over the instep). It's so hard to find these! I want something between the very thin flat sole that so many flat shoes have at the moment (the ballet pump sole) and the chunky, Doc Martensy sole, but I can't find it anywhere. Also, just because I want flat dolly shoes does NOT mean I want them trimmed with embroidery/flowers/bows. Keep those for the actual seven-year-olds.
- a scanner. I want to scan some old photos and vintage patterns for this blog. My birthday is in two months, so, fingers crossed.
- a wrap-around, apron style pinafore dress. I now have the pattern, and I'm itching to get started on this. It's something I've been thinking of for years, so I'm very excited about making it.

Other bloggers

2008-03-04T11:57:00.002Z

As I continue to read other people's style blogs, I really like this post from elegant musings about buying less and making, recycling and thrifting more. It really ties in with my current mood. And she has some lovely pictures on her blog!

Some stuff I liked from the A/W 08 shows

2008-03-03T16:17:00.008Z

L to R - Michael Kors, Adam Lippes, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Adam Lippes

I'm obviously in a cool, contemplative place at the moment.

Self-denial

2008-03-03T15:32:00.002Z

I don't believe in god. But this year I thought Lent would be a good opportunity to try out something I've been thinking of for a while, so I made a decision that during Lent (from the 5th February till the 23rd March) I was going to try not to buy any new clothes. I'm still allowed to buy fabric, and clothes from charity shops, but I wanted to see how I'd get along without my regular Primark fix.

I've been feeling recently that I just have too much stuff. I open my wardrobe and there are a million things hanging there, but I still can't find anything to wear. So far it's been four weeks without buying new clothes, and the first thing I've noticed if how much stuff I usually buy. I have five or six pairs of new tights in my drawer - unopened, in packets. There are half a dozen dresses in my wardrobe that I've never worn. Buying stuff has become something I do to cheer myself up - and it only really works if I happen to buy, usually by accident, something which genuinely looks nice and flattering, which becomes a useful part of my wardrobe. Too often I buy something, get it home, and decide it's not really as nice as I thought it was; usually after wearing it, of course, so that I can't even return it. That's pretty depressing.

The other thing that's happened is that I've identified a few things that I genuinely need for my wardrobe: if I've found myself thinking about a particular thing - a red cardigan, a black vest - I've tried to note it down, so that I can restrict my buying to things I really do need. I've been trying to still go to the shops occasionally and see what's out there, and I've noticed that I have a tendency to see something and then instantly obsess about it, deciding that this (whatever it is) is the one thing my wardrobe has been waiting for. Denying myself the instant gratification has meant that the obsession usually fades pretty quickly and I forget whatever it was that I thought I had to have.

If I make it to Easter without buying anything new, I'm going to get myself a couple of things that I really have identified as 'needs' (if anything can be said to be a need when you own as much clothing as I do...) and then try and make it another month to my birthday without buying anything new. I've been sewing like a demon - two dresses completed, one more waiting for a zip, and one cut out and ready to sew - but I also had my camera stolen so I haven't been able to post pictures of my completed projects. Hopefully pictures this week some time!